


Stray Robin in the Hemlock

by TheQueenyGospels



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dick Grayson is Robin, F/F, F/M, Jason Todd is Hemlock, Jason still dies, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tim Drake is Stray, awkward timeline
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 08:14:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13096065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenyGospels/pseuds/TheQueenyGospels
Summary: AU where Jason and Tim never become Robins, instead they become Hemlock and Stray.Read as Robin, Stray and Hemlock meet and become unlikely friends, and a little bit more.(ON HOLD)





	1. Kitten or Stray?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there!

More often than not Tim felt like his parents only saw him as a burden, this was a harsh realisation for a four-year-old to come to. Being practically raised by the family maid whenever his parents were away for business, which was almost always, Tim was given several long hours to be alone to his thoughts, these thoughts turned to resentment for his parents.

At five years old Tim watched the Graysons fly and he watched them fall, and as he was pulled away from the circus tent and sirens he saw the Batman console a distraught Dick Grayson.

A year after Tim met Dick the newspapers read ‘Drake Heir: Hostage or Runaway?’. It was the latter. With a backpack full of essentials and his camera strapped around his neck Tim climbed out of his window and never looked back. He watched the news that played on the TVs in cafes and stores, watched his mother sob and his father stay stern-faced with his arm around her waist, he pulled his hood tighter over his head whenever they displayed his school photo on screen.

After almost a year of living on the streets, hidden in alleys and behind buildings where he knew people wouldn’t find him, someone approached him.

Tim tensed as the figure in dark clothing stalked towards, the alley cat he’d been petting ran towards the figure, who scooped it up and held it gently in their arms. The figure cooed at the cat before setting it back down. The eyes hidden by goggles then snapped back to Tim, his blood ran cold when he realised who it was.

“C-Catwoman.” He could see his breath as he spoke, Gotham winter had set in harsher than it had in years.

“Hey there, kitten, or should I say stray?” Catwoman advanced further until Tim successfully backed himself into a corner. “Well?” He stayed silent, unsure of what she was asking him, let alone why she was talking to him. “Kitten or stray?” _Oh._

“Stray.” Catwoman tutted as she crouched down in from of Tim, who instinctually pressed himself even further into the corner, truly scared she might attack him, he had photos as evidence that she could easily land scratches on Batman.

“That’s what I thought.” Slowly and gently, as to not give Tim a heart attack, she laid a hand against his shoulder, it was more affection than he’d had in the months leading up to his runaway. “Are you hungry, kitten?” Tim nodded, causing Catwoman to smile. “Come on then.” She pulled her hand from his shoulder and held it how for Tim to take it. He didn’t. He’d been already been tricked by ill-intended hands and a faux smile. Catwoman noticed the hesitation and retracted her hand. “You don’t have to come, but if you want to you can.” Tim’s eyes followed her as stood up straight and began leaving the alley. He was on his feet before he realised and caught up to her quickly.

“I’m Ti- Jackson.” He corrected himself when he remembered there was still a missing person report out for him. Catwoman smiled but said nothing as they continued to walk down the street to the nearest 24-hour diner, she told him to stay seated on the sidewalk bench while she went in, full costume and everything. After a few minutes she returned with two paper bags.

“Here you go, kitten.” She handed him one of the papers bags as she sat next to him. His mouth watered at the smell of warm food.

“Thank you.” He looked inside the back and found a burger, fries, water and a chocolate muffin. They didn’t speak while they ate but Tim noticed the glances Catwoman sent his way every so often and he again wondered why she’d started talking to him. Once Tim had eaten the burger and fries, saving the muffin for later, and was now sipping at the water, Catwoman talked again.

“You know, lots of people are looking for you, Kitten.” And there it is, Tim thought bitterly. Catwoman was supposed to a criminal and here she was about to try and convince him to go back to his parents, who didn’t give him a moment of their time until he disappeared.

“I’m not going back, and you can’t make me.” It was a long shot, because she definitely could, it wouldn’t even be hard, but he would sure as hell fight.

“I don’t plan to,” Tim’s expression softened from the glare it had formed. “But I don’t want to see this city destroy another beautiful soul.”

“I’m fine.” Catwoman caught his hand gently and pulled up his sleeve to display the dark bruises on his wrist, caused by a drunken man who only saw him as easy flesh. Tim stayed silently, not wanting his voice to waver and show how much he hated living in alleys, unsure of what was worse, being neglected or being alone.

“I’m only offering this once: come live with me, I’ll teach you how to survive in this city and you can work with me, you’ll even be able to get better shots of your boy wonder.” Tim blushed, embarrassed that she knew he focused on Robin more than Batman.

“Why?” Her hand released his.

“Because I see potential in you. So, what do you say?” She held out her hand for him to shake. Tim stared at it, he was just a kid, why would anyone want him? He thought about what would happen if he agreed, he’d be able to get closer to Batman and Robin, he’d probably be able to eat regularly, she probably would forget about him.

“Okay.” He shook her hand firmly. “Tim.” He introduced with a smile, she smiled back.

“Selina Kyle.”

As they walked back to Selina’s apartment a pair of eyes under a cowl watched from the shadows of a rooftop.


	2. I Can Help You

Jason learnt from a young age that the world didn’t owe him shit, maybe it was while he hid under the table when his parents fought loudly enough for the neighbours to call in a noise complaint, or when his dad was killed in jail and no one did anything about it, or when he came home after begging for food and money and found his mum dead on the bathroom floor, surrounded by needles and pills, or when police decided it would take too long to find any relatives and instead sent him to a foster home, then another, and another, until they put him in juvi and left him there to rot like the rest of the kids they couldn’t give a single fuck about.

Maybe he figured it out, maybe he decide that was the case. Jason broke out of juvi and fled into the night with nothing but the clothes on his back. No one looked for him, no one filed a missing person, no one gave a damn. And that’s how he like it.

Jason lived in alleys and parks, stole what he needed to survive, like a jacket and a pocket knife, and things he didn’t, like his pack of cigarettes, and started fights with anyone who looked at him too long or got too close. Bruises littered his skin from his most recent fights but he still held himself together and didn’t hesitated defend himself.

Jason proffered to sleep in the few parks around Gotham, the grass was softer than the hard pavement in alleyways, and in summer they got more sun and were warmer during the night. Sometimes he slept in trees though, when he felt even less safe than normal or had just been in a fight and didn’t want anyone to attempt to take advantage of a sleeping, injured kid.

It was late summer, closer to autumn than spring, Jason was close to the end of his cigarette when he felt a pair of eyes staring at him. He turned around in the nook he’d nestled in and glared at the woman below him.

“Liking to view?” He asked as he took another drag. He forced himself not to choke on smoke when bright, alluring green eyes caught his. The woman’s skin was tinted green and her hair was a deep shade of red-orange. Jason recognised her as Poison Ivy once he’d seen her properly. He glared harder, he’d fight a crazy plant-woman if he had to.

“What are doing in a tree?” She asked with a tilt of her head. He noticed she was wearing a long trench coat to disguise herself.

“Smoking. Problem?” Instead of answering, the tree began to shake and the branch Jason was on twisted until he was dropped onto the floor with a thud. “Hey! What’s your problem?”

“You’re burning the roots underneath you.” She said calmly, Jason looked at the roots that laid under his branch and noticed the small marks where his ash had landed when he tapped it free from the end of his cigarette.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It will heal.” With that said Poison Ivy turned and began to leave, but Jason chased after her until he could walk beside her.

“Wait, why are you in Gotham, aren’t you wanted?”

“I have to do something first.”

“What?” She raised an eyebrow at him like he was stupid for thinking she’d tell him. “I won’t tell, I have no one to tell.” She thought for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“There’s a greenhouse used for tourism on the upper east side; to make the plants grow bigger and faster they’re using chemicals, it works but it’s hurting the plants. I’m going to free the plants and destroy the chemicals.” He knew which one, it was new and he’d heard people talking about it as they passed him.

“I can help you.”

“You?”

“Yeah, I’m smaller, I can sneak pass security and shut off the cameras.” Poison Ivy stopped in her stride and turned to him completely, her eyes were calculating as they glided over him, considering whether or not he would truly be an asset.

“Fine.”

That night Jason Todd and Poison Ivy stuck in the Gotham Greenhouse, destroyed the chemicals and freed the plants, and once everything was done Ivy and Jason hid on a roof top where they could see the chemicals burns and go unnoticed by Batman.

“You were pretty good kid, if you want, I think I wouldn’t mind keeping your help.”

“You mean…”

“I’m going to a forest in India to help the trees heal and grow after deforestation, you might be able to help me.” Ivy chose not to mention that she felt for pity for the lonely city child, she wasn’t lying when she said he was helpful but she also hadn’t missed the bruises that blossomed across his skin or his healing black eye.

Jason didn’t need to think about the offer long, he had nothing left for him in Gotham, no one to miss him, no one that would look for him; he agree and left Gotham with Ivy at his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have that a lot happened between Jason meeting Ivy and meeting Tim and Dick, but if I include it here it'll make the fic kind of awkward to read, so let me know if you want an additional fic that focuses on Jason becoming Hemlock, and maybe one about Tim becoming Stray. Love y'all!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos let me know if I should continue. Love y'all!


End file.
